The Will Of Fire
by destinyowldreamer
Summary: A series of one-shots about the Rookie Nine, The Sand Siblings, Team Minato, and the "adventures" of Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake when they were kids! Focusing mainly on Team 7 and sometimes branching off into the Akatuski and Team Taka! (Or Hebi whatever) (Rated T for a little blood and slight violence)
1. Snowed In With Nowhere To Go

**Chapter One: Snowed In With Nowhere To Go**

It was snowing in Konoha. Missions had to be post-ponned and people were staying indoors. The snowflakes had been coming down so big they were practically already snowballs and had been going that way for almost three days straight and showed no sign of slowing.

The only good thing about the snow was that there was no fear of being attacked by enemy ninja. It would take more than Ninjutsu to get anywhere farther than your own front yard in this weather.

You'd have to be crazy to even try.

So of course, Naruto Uzamaki was determined to spend his free time with his friends. If only they shared the sentiment.

Sakura was attempting to spend her "quiet" afternoon working on her meditation and yoga poses.

She was sitting in the lotus position on a red mat in her room when a snowball hit her window.

At first, she assumed it was just an accident, probably some kids playing outside with their parents when it happened again.

And again. And again. And again.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. How long were they going to keep this up?

Finally she couldn't take it anymore and stood up with a frustrated huff.

She marched over to the window, he bare feet slapping against the wooden floorboards as she yanked the window open and stuck her head outside just in time for one of the offending snowballs to collide with her face.

She was so surprised she fell backwards and landed on her butt with a dull thud.

She blinked in stunned surprise and blinked ice out of her eyes as she brushed snow from her hair. She felt the familiar reflex to cry. She brushed that off as well. She was a ninja now, there was no room for her acting like a child.

Sakura finished dusting herself off and returned to the window, a little more hesitantly this time.

She peered around the corner to see a very sheepish looking Naruto staring up at her with a big guilty smile on his face.

His cheeks were flushed red from the cold. He had a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck that seemed to be much too big for him over his orange and black winter gear. He waved one gloved hand up at her.

Sakura blew her bangs from her eyes in annoyance.

"Come on!" Naruto called, cupping his hands on either side of his mouth. "If you come out we can get Saskue next!" Sakura would have denied him, but the chance to spend the day with Saskue sounded a lot more appealing than studying. Sakura had always loved snow anyway….

"Give me a minute!" She shouted back.

She turned away from the window and hurried around her room, changing into thick black winter leggings, her usual tunic, but with a long sleeved dark pink shirt underneath, a pair of dark brown gloves, and a red winter coat. Her mother forced a warm hat over her ears and a pink scarf around her neck on her way out before Sakura wriggled out of her grasp and escaped outdoors.

"Great!" Naruto said, upon her arrival. "Let's go get Saskue."

As was to be expected, the young Uchiha wasn't all that pleased with snowballs pounding against his window. When he looked out he could see Naruto and Sakura waving at him. He rolled his eyes.

Half of him was telling him to ignore them, close the curtains, and pretend he hadn't seen them. But, the other half of him, the one that had been more prominent lately, the half of him that allowed him to talk to his friends, told him to open the window.

Which he did although the other half of him was still nagging for him to ignore his friends. Did this count as a split personality disorder?

Before he could think about it anymore he was about to open the window when a particularly hard snowball that probably consisted of more than a few clumps of ice and rocks smacked the glass before him.

Cracks spider-webbed across the panel. Okay. He did _not _want to know which one of them had thrown that. Whoever it was had just made snowballs a lethal weapon.

He tugged the window open and dodged another death-ball. "What are you two doing?" Sakura blushed, Naruto just grinned up at him.

"Come outside!" Sakura called. Saskue brushed impatiently at his bangs. "Why?" Naruto scowled. "Because there's nothing better to do? And you like spending time with us?" _I'll by the first one. _He thought irritably. "Fine. But you're replacing my window!"

He didn't wait around to see their excited faces. Although Naruto was grimacing about having to pay for a new window.

When he opened the door and stepped into the snow Sakura wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "What are you doing?" He exclaimed. He was about to push her off when she detached herself on her own.

Her cheeks were flushed scarlet but whether that was from a blush or the cold, Saskue wasn't sure. Maybe both.

Sakura settled for pulling at his black gloved hand. "Come on!" He allowed her and Naruto to lead him across the red painted bridge where they always met Kakashi-Sensei and into a snow filled meadow beyond it.

Instantly, Naruto began rolling up a huge snowball. Saskue watched as Sakura joined in by helping to push the ever growing snow boulder. Eventually they seemed to realize that their third teammate hadn't followed their example, because they both looked up.

Naruto's orange mitten waved in front of Saskue's face. "Hello? Saskue? Are you in there?" Saskue swatted his friend's hand out of the way. "Back off, loser!"

Sakura frowned. "Saskue? Don't you know how to build a snowman?"

Saskue did his best attempt at a scowl but it turned into more of a pout.

"Of course I do!" A faint blush dusted his cheeks. "I just haven't….done it in a while."

"Well when was the last time?" Naruto questioned. Saskue sighed and found something very interesting to look at on a nearby tree. "I-I can't remember.

Naruto and Sakura stared owlishly at their friend. Naruto burst out laughing. "Naruto!" Sakura scolded. "Leave Saskue alone!"

Saskue scowled, but the truth was, he was embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry." Naruto apologized, although he was still chuckling.

Sakura was a little more sympathetic. She placed a hand on Saskue's shoulder. "Come on." She placed a snow ball in Saskue's hand. "I'll show you." Saskue would have protested, but his dominant arguing half won over and he let her show him how to roll the snowball in the snow until it grew big enough.

Then the three of them lifted the snowball onto the one Sakura and Naruto had already made. It only took Sakura a few minutes to create another smaller ball to use as a head for their snowman.

"There." Sakura said. "It looks great." Naruto handed her some black pebbles to use as eyes. She pressed a carrot into Saskue's hand. "Here" she said. "Use this for the nose."

Hesitantly the young Uchiha stuck the carrot where the snowman's nose would be. Naruto added a smile of black stones under it to act as a mouth.

The three of them stood back and gazed at their work.

"It's missing something." Naruto said. "Any ideas, loser?" Saskue questioned. "It needs a scarf or something." Sakura suggested, she began to remove the pink scarf around her neck when Saskue put his hand on her arm. "Wait."

He unwound the blue one he wore. He looped it around the snowman and tied it in a knot so it wouldn't blow away.

"Perfect!" Sakura said. She smiled at Saskue and he returned it with a tiny one. It was a poor excuse for a smile, but Sakura would take it.

Suddenly, a snowball smacked Saskue in the back.

He whirled around, hand instinctively reaching for the kunai in his weapons pouch. Then he saw it was just Naruto, who was tossing a snowball up and down in his hand with a grin plastered all over his face.

"Oh you are so dead Naruto!" Saskue's eyes flashed red with the Sharingan in a silent warning. He gathered snow in his hand and shaped it into a ball. "And trust me, I know how a snowball fight works."

Naruto did the smart thing.

He turned, and ran.

As the two boys chased each other around, Sakura watched with a fond smile on her face.

When she had first been put in a group with Naruto Uzamaki and Saskue Uchiha, she had never really thought about how their relationship as a team would develop. Now she could see that they had become friends. And she was relieved.

A snowball colliding with her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts.

Naruto grinned sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his head. Saskue tossed her a snowball which she caught easily. "Wanna get him?" Sakura was shocked for a minute, before she broke into a smile. "After you."

"Guys!" Naruto exclaimed nervously, backing up with his hands up in the universal sign for surrender.

"It was an accident!"

Sakura and Saskue exchanged looks. "Get him?" Sakura questioned. "Get him." Saskue agreed and with that they charged.

The snow didn't stop falling until almost a week later when everyone got snowed in at Naruto's house, but that was a story for another time.

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first time writing something for Naruto! What do you think? Any suggestions for future chapters are always welcome and don't be embarrassed or shy, any ideas are great! I'll write about any of the things in the summary. And if you want I could branch off into a few other things as well I guess. Please review!**


	2. The Panda Demon

**Chapter Two: The Panda Demon**

Temari and Kankuro knew that their little brother was different. It was obvious by the way everyone acted around him. Each one of the three siblings was of a different mother but the same father.

Gaara was the newest edition to their pathetic excuse for a family. He was cute. Really. Temari held him in her small arms as she and her brothers waited outside as the Kazekage decided what would happen next.

Her forest green eyes gazed down at Gaara's little face. He was only a few days old but he already had a rebellious tuft of dark red hair.

There were strange marks almost like panda eyes. It almost looked as if he were wearing makeup. His eyelids and the area around them were completely black. A sharp contrast to his pale skin which was just beginning to lose its babyish pink hue.

Temari found herself wondering what color his eyes would be. She and Kankuro had mainly inherited their looks from their mothers. Would Gaara be the same? He had the same hair as his father. He squirmed in her arms. He looked uncomfortable and she thought he would start crying. But he didn't.

She frowned. She was only five years old but that didn't seem right to her. He should be crying.

"Kankuro." She said, standing up quickly and making her way to her brother who was fiddling with some little wooden carving. "Does he look okay to you?" Kankuro glanced at Gaara's unhappy face and shrugged. "I don't know. You're a girl. Can't you sense what's wrong with him or something?" Temari huffed, her anger rising.

"I'm not a mom! I don't know, but he's not crying!" Kankuro sighed and took the bundle from Temari's arms. Kankuro gazed down at his new brother's face. He did look miserable. He didn't feel particularly warm. He had just been fed, and it wasn't cold out. What could be wrong with him?

"Awwwww!" Temari said. "You two are so cute! Are you bonding?" Kankuro blushed and shoved Gaara back at Temari. "Shut up!" Temari laughed. "You're just jealous because Gaara's special." Kankuro glanced at the shut door across from them. "Being special isn't a good thing." He said.

"Not if they decide he's dangerous."

Temari bristled. She clutched her brother closer to her chest. "It makes me sick." Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Temari scowled. "What do you think? How can a group of old geezers just sit around and talk about whether they should slaughter and innocent child or not just because he _might _be dangerous? They have no right! He's our brother! If our lousy father doesn't care about him, then he can die for all I care! Gaara is going to have to be our responsibility. Got that?"

Kankuro put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay."

Temari and her brother quieted down after that. Eventually, Kankuro leaned over and peered at Gaara's face. "So…..when do you think he'll open his eyes?"

Temari shrugged. "No idea. He is pretty cute though. What color do you think they'll be?" Kankuro gained a thoughtful look on his face. "Green? That's a common one for people with red hair."

His sister tilted her head to one side.

"Maybe. I'm going with brown."

"Why?" Kankuro questioned.

Temari shrugged. "I think they would suit him. He looks like a little panda bear with those black marks around his eyes. Don't you think?" Kankuro took his little brother from Temari. He raised his hand over Gaara's face to move his hair from his closed eyes. But much to the surprise of them both, Gaara's tiny toothless mouth opened and bit Kankuro's finger. _Hard._

"Ow!" Kankuro exclaimed, pulling his somehow bleeding finger away from Gaara's mouth.

"He bit me!" Temari was trying and failing to contain her laughter. "Yeah, he did. I think he knows you're his big brother!"

Kankuro scowled. "Shut up. Here, you can have him back." He held the baby towards his sister but Temari just took a step back with her hands raised as a defence.

"No thanks! He might bite me next!" Kankuro pulled the bundle back onto his lap. "Weren't you the one giving a speech about how Gaara's supposed to be _our _responsibility just a second ago?"

Temari kicked him lightly in the shin. "Ow! Hey! Abuse from one sibling is enough!"

Gaara made an upset little sound, yet he still didn't cry, drawing his siblings' attention once again. His eyelids fluttered. "Look!" Kankuro exclaimed. "I think he's going to open his eyes!" Temari gazed down at Gaara in anticipation. He wriggled in his blankets and Temari could see his tiny fists. She put her finger near one and he grabbed onto it squeezing tightly. "Ouch!" Temari cried. She attempted to free herself but the week-year-old had a strangely strong grip.

Finally, Gaara turned his face upwards and opened his eyes.

Both Kankuro and Temari had been wrong.

His eyes weren't green, and they weren't brown.

They were an icy blue.

He stared up at his siblings with an odd amount of awareness.

"He's a panda demon." Kankuro said. Temari stared at him. "What?"

"Think about it." Kankuro said. "He has those marks, and red hair, but his eyes are blue, he made me bleed and he almost broke your finger. He's a week old Temari! He's a panda demon!"

Temari glanced down at her little brother. He continued to watch her with those big blue eyes of his. "A panda demon…..yeah. Okay."

**A/N: This is beginning to get discouraging. Does nobody read one-shots anymore? Oh well, I'll keep writing them. I would really appreciate some reviews though! Please review!**


	3. Blood Red Eyes

**Chapter Three: Blood Red Eyes**

"Is it true that there's a monster living in the apartment at the end of the hall?" Tenten questioned.

"Yes!" Lee exclaimed. "Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru went in there the other night on a dare and they saw it!"

Tenten put her hands on her hips, not convinced. "And what, exactly, did they see?"

"A demon!" Lee said. "It was the middle of the night so they couldn't see anything and Choji tripped over a chair or something and there was a noise, like footsteps, and then they saw a pair of glowing red eyes the color of blood. They got out of there as fast as they could after that!"

Tenten sighed. "And now I suppose you want to go in and see too?"

Lee nodded his head furiously. "Can't you just get Neji to go with you?"

Lee shook his head this time. "Neji was sent on a very important mission and won't be back for a few days! So, will you come with me?"

"Why don't you just get Guy-Sensei to go with you?" Lee perked up at that. "That's a great idea Tenten! Then maybe with all of us going together we can get rid of that demon once and for all!"

Before Tenten could protest, Lee scampered away calling, "Come back here tonight! I'll get the others!"

Tenten was only half interested in who the "others" could be.

She just shook her head and went home.

This was going to end badly.

That night, Tenten, Lee, Guy-Sensei, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were gathered in the hallway of the small apartment.

"Why are we doing this?" Kakashi asked. "Shhhh!" Lee hushed him.

"The demon will hear you!"

"You don't really think there's a demon here," Sakura whispered to Tenten. "Do you?" Tenten tilted her head to the side.

"I'm sure Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino saw something. But I'm also sure it wasn't a real demon." That still didn't seem to make Sakura feel any better.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Tenten said, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maybe it's just a stray cat or something."

Sakura offered a small smile. "Yeah, probably."

They approached the apartment cautiously.

"This is the apartment?" Sakura questioned. "It looks like someone lives here."

"Exactly!" Naruto chimed in. "The demon!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, not you too!"

"Be quiet everyone!" Guy said. "Ready?" Everyone crowded towards each other and nodded.

Guy carefully tried to push the door open. It was locked.

"It's stuck!" Guy said in a hushed whisper-yell.

Seeing their expressions Guy flashed a hurried smile and pulled a small lock pick from his pocket. "Never fear! A good ninja is always prepared!"

They watched as he carefully picked the lock. He opened the door, and….it stuck again.

"What's the problem now?" Tenten huffed in annoyance.

This time Guy-Sensei's smile was sheepish. "This demon seems to be very prepared for our arrival! It's taken the liberty of using a chain to keep us out."

He stepped aside so he could see the small door chain that had been slid into place.

"I've got it!" Lee said. Somehow he managed to slide his arm into the small sliver of space and undo the chain.

No one bothered asking how he had managed it. They were all too afraid of the answer.

Now with the way un-bared, the small group entered the dark apartment.

There were probably windows but they were all covered by curtains and no lights were on.

"Be careful everyone." Tenten said.

No one needed to be told twice. Heck, they didn't even need to be told _once_.

Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until someone screwed up.

They were entering what was probably a small living room, when Naruto stumbled.

Before he could catch himself, he tripped on the rug, and was sent sprawling onto the hard wooden floor with a loud thud.

And as if that weren't bad enough, he tried to pull himself back up using a small table and ended up knocking that over too, sending a lamp clattering to the ground.

It shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces.

The others had to step back to avoid being hit with the shards.

That was when they heard it.

Footsteps.

Just like Ino and her team had said.

Everyone held their breath.

Those who had them readied their kunai or shuriken.

But the footsteps stopped near the door to the apartment.

"What's it doing?" Sakura whispered. She was terrified, but in the darkness of the room it would be difficult for anyone to tell.

She just hoped her shaking voice wouldn't give it away.

"I don't know!" Tenten whispered. She was scared too.

Then, there was a sharp clicking noise and the lights went on.

Everyone hissed as the brightness of the lights assaulted their eyes after being in the darkness for so long.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" The voice was clearly angry, but it didn't sound like it belonged to a demon.

More like…..a kid?

When they could see again, they blinked and rubbed at their eyes until the person standing before them became clear.

The gasped.

A very annoyed Saskue Uchiha stood in front of his door.

His black hair was messed up as if he had been sleeping. He was barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt and he had his arms folded across his chest with a scowl on his face.

But what they really noticed was that his eyes were blood red.

No.

They were _Sharingan _red. Duh.

This was Saskue's apartment. None of them had realized that they didn't know where he lived.

When people entered this room by mistake, Saskue would hear them, and just in case they were an enemy, his Sharingan would react instinctively and their glowing red light would be all that the ninjas saw.

"Oh my gosh!" Tenten exclaimed. "T-this is your apartment!?"

Saskue nodded once, still looking irritated.

"Yes, yes it is. Which means it isn't _your _apartment, so get out! Now!"

They all knew enough to do as they were told and quietly followed out, all very embarrassed.

Each one mumbled an apology before leaving.

Saskue slammed the door behind him, and they could hear the locks sliding into place again. They heard one extra one this time as well. Just to make sure there were no more uninvited guests.

"We should have known!" Sakura said.

"I mean, really! He's the only one we know with red eyes! And he has to live somewhere!"

"I know!" Lee said. "I always though he still lived in the old Uchiha clan village!"

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and stared at him.

"Even Naruto's not that stupid." Sakura said blankly.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, then, realizing what Sakura had just said exclaimed, "Hey!"

They all ignored him and kept walking.

Tomorrow they would have to tell everyone that there was no red-eyed demon.

And find a way to replace Saskue's lamp.

Here we go again.

**A/N: Two in one day! Not that anyone seems to care. Oh well. If anyone is ever going to read this, then please review!**


	4. Poems

**Chapter Four: Poems**

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update! This is a bunch of poems about four characters from Naruto! Thank you to my one reviewer! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

A Brother's Mercy

Perfect

What does it mean?

Is it a useful thing?

Can it save the bloodied hands that can never be clean?

People know me

Or they think they do

They could never guess what I've been through

I was too late to hear the screams

But the bodies in the streets will forever haunt my dreams

It was done by the person

Who was closet to me

He insured that I would never be free

I've tried to let go

I've tried to move on

But every smile I see just reminds me what's gone

I have a best friend

He feels my pain

But now I've shut the door and left him out in the rain

There's a girl who loves me

But I can't love her back

All I am able to see is a plan of attack

To kill the person who wiped out my whole family tree

He left me alive

Apparently that's mercy

How so?

I don't see

My eyes are unique

Like no others

Although I've been told

They look quite like my brother's

My own big brother

Left me so alone

And now almost nine years later

I've never been farther from home

The Flight Of A Flower

I'm named after a flower

Pink, pristine, and oh so perfect

I have a goal in mind

But with so much competition

I have to wonder

Is the prize really worth it?

The "prize" or person whose caught our affection

Is smart, dark, and brooding

But he never notices us

Or pays us any attention

I'm ugly

I know

So why would he ever look at me?

But now I've been assigned to a squad of three

Maybe now he'll want to be closer to me

I have to prove myself

Ninjas have to be perfect right?

But to do that I have to help my friend step out of the darkness and into the light

We've been through adventures

We've been through hardships

But all that time we've only strengthened our friendships

I'm finally happy

I'm finally free

The boy that I like

Is finally paying attention to me

My crush has bright red eyes

With them nothing can catch him by surprise

But they're also heavy, dark, cold, and empty

As if someone turned out the lights

Before he was ready

I love him with all of my heart

I do

But now when he looks at me

He just stares right on through

But now that he's gone

The darkness having completely closed him in

He left us here

He left ME here

Wondering

Wondering

What I did wrong?

For most except our team

He's out of sight he's out of mind

But for me

All I can remember is his smile that was kind

He's made his choice

The others say

Move on

Stop moping

Don't let this get in your way

But I won't move on

And I won't let go

Not when our friendship was just starting to grow

My remaining teammate stands beside me

I know I can rely on him

Even if he's the only one

Together we'll make sure the job gets done

Maybe I can't count on anyone else

Fine

We'll just have to save him ourselves

I know that he's out there

I know he's not far

And I will follow him forever

Because it is to him that I have given my heart

I'm a healer

I've trained hard I've trained long

But now confused as I am

All I have left is this broken up song

But I will stand strong

I will stand tall

But I will never let my teammates fall

A flower am I?

I think you'll learn that I'm no longer so fragile

I've fought long and I've fought hard to be strong and agile

I've fought through wars

And I've earned my scars

And I've learned to be smart

And now I'm fighting with all of my heart

So maybe I am a flower

I stand through the storms

But remember everyone

This flower has thorns

The Story Of A Fox

There's a story I must tell you

One about a fox

After the night it attacked

To me no one talks

They turn away and whisper

As I walk through the streets

I don't know why they hate me

But their feelings are clear

So why do I stay here?

Where no one will meet my eyes?

I wonder

Would anyone care

If tomorrow I died?

Would people be happy?

Would people be pleased?

Would they smile and cheer

Because they were finally free of me?

I've been alone so long

Is it something to do with where my parents have gone?

I know everyone loved them

And thought they were amazing

It was people like my parents that they began to need

But with me no one will look deeper than the face

Is it me they're afraid of?

Or something that dwells just beneath?

I have a rival at school

He's smart, popular, and cool

He's different from the others

He never whispers or shouts

He's always slipping away through the back way out

I heard some kids talking

The other day in class

About a massacre

A massacre that only HE survived

And I thought maybe

Just maybe

He could know how I feel

Although I didn't know it yet

We'd both been victims of so much evil

Maybe we could be friends

Best friends in fact

If it hadn't been for two separate attacks

That took our parents

And chances at families and friends

Maybe just maybe we could pretend

That we're alright

After all it's better to walk with a friend in the darkness

Then to walk alone in the light

Truth

All of my life I've stood alone

Every day I come back to an empty home

My father saved a life and paid for it with his own

People seemed to think he did the right thing

But when he killed himself

I wasn't ready to hear the church bells ring

I'm at the top of every class

Every test I always pass

I reached a high rank at an early age

But sometimes I find it difficult to turn the page

I live in the shadow

Of someone who's dead and gone

Sometimes it's difficult for me to move along

I became captain of my team

Everyone in the village held me in high esteem

But they could never know the horrors I've seen

On one of our earliest missions

My best friend died

And for the first time in years

I wasn't ashamed that I cried

I'd lost an eye earlier that day

So my friend gave me his

Saying that with it I would never lose my way

And then we were forced to watch him die

As the light faded from his remaining eye

Almost two years later

My other teammate left

And I was left broken

At the sight of her death

I stood up to my ankles

In blood that wasn't my own

As once again

I was left all alone

Years later I was assigned to a new team

We were assassins and spies

And after each mission we had to cut all ties

Or someone could end up getting a nasty surprise

A mask covered my face

And the eye from my friend

And I just realized that friend rimes with pretend

I've pretended for as long as I can remember

That I'm alright

I'm intelligent and strong

People rely on my choices because they know I'm never wrong

But I know better

I know I'm not always right

Because the truth of the matter is

The light has long since faded from my life

**A/N: Hey guys…..was that really cheesy? Anyways, if you couldn't tell the order goes Saskue, Sakura, Naruto, and then Kakashi. Please review!**


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